30/12/2025
Athletes with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) 🧠✨🏀
Tony Snell 🏀
Professional basketball player Tony Snell always felt different growing up. As a shy, tall kid in South Los Angeles, Snell recalls spending hours a day shooting baskets.
Snell was selected as the 20th overall pick by the Chicago Bulls in the 2013 NBA draft. Throughout his NBA career, he also played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers and New Orleans Pelicans. He played for several NBA G League teams and currently plays overseas in the LNB Elite league in France.
Jessica-Jane Applegate 🏊♀️
Jessica-Jane Applegate is a British Paralympic swimmer who competes in the S14 category for athletes with intellectual disabilities.
From an early age, Jessica struggled with learning and development, in addition to needing multiple surgeries on her feet and throat. Applegate found a sanctuary for her struggles in the water. "It's a feeling of peace, happiness and silence… It was somewhere I could escape," she recalls. "Many times, people think I am racing people who are more severely disabled than I am. It is very hard to explain how even having a normal conversation can be very hard."
She has earned 42 medals in national and international events, including two gold Paralympic medals – one in the London 2012 women's 200m freestyle S14 event and one in the Tokyo 2020 mixed 4x100m freestyle S14 event. She has also set four world records.
Clay Marzo 🏄♂️
Growing up in Hawaii, young Clay Marzo lined up seashells in a ridge pattern on the beach. When stressed, he would twirl and pull out large clumps of his hair. Today, he is known for his unique style of turns and spins.
On land, Marzo can struggle with communication, has difficulty connecting with fans and has a sense of bluntness that some people find off-putting. His surfing sponsor Quiksilver believed in his abilities so much they financed a film about him – Just Add Water (2009). The director of the film, Jamie Tierney, whose parents are both psychologists, picked up on his behavior and suspected something more. He was shortly after diagnosed with ASD.
At only 11 years old, Marzo placed third in the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA), which led to his first professional surfing contract with Quiksilver. At age 15, he became the first surfer to receive two perfect 10 scores in NSSA history and claimed the national title. He has also received nominations for several surfing awards.
Read more about athletes with Autism here: https://behavioral.maximhealthcare.com/behavioral-blog/athletes-with-autism/
